Training for gymnastics, extreme sports, and other activities that cause the human body to fall for extended distances can be extremely dangerous. Every year thousands of children and adults suffer injuries during gymnastics and extreme sports training activities. Some of these injuries occur while practicing or learning skills using a foam-landing pit.
A foam-landing pit may be a collection of regularly and/or irregularly shaped foam pieces that are contained within the confines of a structure. The foam pieces may act as cushioning articles for individuals and objects that impact the pit. These structures may be located in the ground, level with the sports apparatus, and/or above the ground.
One of the most frequently occurring injuries associated with foam landing pit is a direct result from the compaction of the foam pieces due to repeated landings. For example, repeated landings may compress and pack the foam, lessening its ability to absorb impacts over a sufficiently long time or distance so as to prevent injury. The packed foam may reduce the amount of air space in-between the foam structure. The reduced air space may result in a more solid surface where deflection is minimized and the impact force of the landing is maximized. Hence, a person landing on compacted foam may have a much higher probability of injury since a larger impact force is imparted on the person during the landing when the foam is compacted.